To solve this puzzle, we need to analyze the answer given by the first man and use it to determine whether he is a smurf or a dragon. Here's how we can approach it:
Let's call the two men A and B. We don't know which one is the smurf and which one is the dragon. So, let's assume that A is the dragon and B is the smurf. We will analyze the answer given by A to see if it makes sense.
We ask A: "If I asked the second one what he is, what would he answer?" A responds: "He would say that he is a dragon."
If we assume that A is the dragon and B is the smurf, then B would tell the truth and would say that he is a smurf. But A, being a dragon, would lie and say that B is a dragon. This contradicts what A just said, which was that B would say he is a dragon. Therefore, we can conclude that our assumption that A is the dragon and B is the smurf is false.
Let's now assume that B is the dragon and A is the smurf. We will analyze A's answer to see if it makes sense under this assumption.
We ask A: "If I asked the second one what he is, what would he answer?" A responds: "He would say that he is a dragon."
If we assume that B is the dragon and A is the smurf, then B would lie and say that he is a smurf. Therefore, when A asks B what he is, B would say that he is a smurf. And since A is telling the truth, he accurately reports that B would say he is a dragon. This makes sense, and we can conclude that our assumption that B is the dragon and A is the smurf is correct.
Therefore, the man who said "He would say that he is a dragon" is the dragon, and the other man is the smurf.
In summary, to solve this puzzle, we assume one person is the dragon and the other is the smurf, and we analyze the answer given by one of them to see if it makes sense. If it does, then our assumption is correct, and we can identify which person is the dragon and which one is the smurf.
© 2023 Praveen Puri
